Serve and Protect
by Lys ap Adin
Summary: Squalo has no problem getting his boss what he wants. He just wishes his boss would figure out what that is. Squalo, Xanxus, gen.


**Title:** Serve and Protect**  
Characters/Pairings:** Squalo, Xanxus**  
Summary:** Squalo has no problem getting his boss what he wants. He just wishes his boss would figure out what that is.**  
Notes:** Teen. For Round III of KHRfest, prompt _II-38. Xanxus – pacts; "Protect me from what I want"_. 1134 words.

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**Serve and Protect**

There are days when Squalo wishes, fiercely, that his boss would make up his damn mind about what it is that he really wants, just because it would make his own life that much easier. Of course, that would require Xanxus to actually figure out what the hell it is that he wants. That would be a miracle in and of itself since Squalo is pretty sure that these days, Xanxus doesn't have the first clue what that actually is. And to make matters worse, he doesn't even seem to know that he doesn't know, but then, that's Xanxus all over: burning determination and iron will right to the core of him, and nothing to spend it on.

Not that Squalo actually _cares_ whether Xanxus does anything with himself or not, of course. That's completely beside the point, which is that he's pledged himself to Xanxus and his strength. As far as Squalo is concerned, that's really the only thing that matters. Xanxus can sit and brood in Varia headquarters all day or stage coups against the Ninth or take up building ships in bottles for all Squalo cares, just as long as Xanxus lets Squalo stick around to observe or serve or whatever. Being close enough to reach out and touch the razor edge of Xanxus' strength is everything Squalo asks of life and then some, so he's not complaining. Far from it. _He's_ plenty happy right where he is, even when Xanxus is at his pissiest and is taking it out on anyone within easy reach (which is Squalo, of course, since he's the only one batshit enough to put up with it and _like it_).

It's Xanxus who isn't happy. Of course, it _is_ Xanxus; Squalo isn't actually sure that Xanxus would know what "happy" was if it came up and slapped him in the face. But he's not content, either, or even vaguely satisfied. It's gotten bad enough lately that some days Squalo would actually settle for "moderately disgruntled" just because it would be such a vast improvement. Xanxus hasn't been happy for the longest time now, not since before they'd tried for the rings. Maybe not even since before the Cradle, when they'd tried to take the Vongola for the first time. Squalo has a sneaking suspicion that maybe Xanxus has never been happy, come right down to it.

Which, okay, would be one thing, something Squalo could cope with, if only Xanxus would figure out which way to jump _now_.

He still talks of taking the Vongola, of killing the old man and the kid, of taking the ring and trying the whole thing again, but Squalo doesn't put a lot of stock in it. There's the matter of the ring, first of all, and the fact that it rejected Xanxus. Too many people know about that now for simply taking the Vongola by force to be a real option, though Squalo reckons that if Xanxus really wanted to, they could work something out. He knows a guy who does good work on counterfeits and forgeries, if it came to that. Guy's an artist and could make a Sky ring that would fool even the Ninth. It'd be a pity to have to kill him after he did it--the guy really is that good--but that's what Squalo does for a living.

But there's the kid to deal with, too. Squalo's not sure he believes any of this business about trips to the future, but he believes what he can see. And the fact is, something happened to the kid and his people that forged them into a cohesive unit. The kid's guardians form up around him now like a set of guardians _should_ and the kid himself holds himself like a boss now. Like he's finally accepted the ring. It's a far cry from the flailing mess he used to be, that's for damn sure. If Squalo sees it, he knows Xanxus can, too. Fuck knows that since the kid came over to Italy for his confirmation, the boss hasn't really said much about taking the Vongola.

It leaves them at an impasse, with Xanxus underfoot and tetchy and deeply unhappy, and Squalo doing what he can to keep the man from losing what's left of his mind. That takes all of his not-inconsiderable ingenuity to manage. Lately he's given some serious thought to how he might go about stirring up a war, just to give Xanxus something to do. No one really likes the Pozzo Nero anyway, the way Squalo figures it; wouldn't be hard to pull an operation together that puts them outside the pale in the eyes of the mafia world. It might even be a public service. Not that he gives a fuck about that, but the Ninth might be more willing to turn a blind eye to anything on that front if Squalo's careful to make it look good.

A war might even give his boss an excuse to get himself killed, which Squalo is pragmatic enough to see is a very real possibility, though not one he really likes all that much. But he can't see Xanxus giving in to any of the old man's overtures any time soon, either, though he's pretty sure that there's a part of Xanxus that wants _that_, too. Deep down, anyway. Buried under a rock at the very bottom of Xanxus' soul and wrapped up in concrete a foot thick. Squalo doesn't look for that to emerge any time soon, either. He can sooner imagine Xanxus donning a tutu and performing a scene from _Swan Lake_ than he can imagine Xanxus reconciling with the old man. Maybe when pigs fly. It's a lot more likely that Xanxus'll just give up out of sheer frustration or spleen or apathy and catch a bullet the hard way, though not before Squalo catches one for him.

Hell, he is the boss's right hand. Damned if he's going to let Xanxus go to hell unescorted.

But until that happens, Squalo's going to keep working on finding a viable third option, something that will focus Xanxus' attention and give him something to aim himself at, even if he continues to give lip service to taking control of the Vongola. He'll find it eventually; Squalo doesn't doubt that for even a second. Failure isn't an option for the Varia, and certain flukes involving Japanese sword brats notwithstanding, Squalo's Varia right down to the very marrow of his bones, _and_ he's sworn himself to Xanxus' service. If Xanxus can't figure out what that might be, well. That's okay. Squalo has no problems getting creative.

And if that fails him, well, really. There's always coming up with a reason to wipe the Pozzo Nero off the map. No one'll miss them, anyway.

**end**

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